Back before we had Big Pharma companies who made billions of dollars in revenue, people often had to fend for themselves when they were sick. Many times, this meant coming up with their own remedies.
Herbal medicines have always been a creative solution for disease control and pain relief. They have been used for hundreds, if not thousands, of years for their healing properties and other medicinal purposes.
One of the most common forms herbal remedies took were tinctures. Today, the first thing that comes to mind for most people when they think of tinctures is marijuana.
What Is a Tincture?
Tinctures are concentrated herbal extracts that are made by soaking herbs in either alcohol or oil. They are relatively easy to produce and tend to have prolonged shelf lives, making them a favorite for everybody in the cannabis industry including patients.
Tinctures are ingested orally by using a dropper, which makes them an excellent alternative for patients who are curious about marijuana but do not want to inhale smoke in their lungs.
How Do You Take a Tincture?
When you inhale a marijuana vape or flower, the smoke enters your lungs and is posited directly into your bloodstream. This means that you may feel the effects within minutes or even seconds after inhaling the medicine.
Conversely, with tinctures, the effects can take a bit longer to kick in. If you squeeze the dropper in your mouth and swallow it, the effects could take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to kick in, because the medicine has to pass through your liver before reaching your bloodstream.
However, if you take the tincture “sublingually”, meaning place the drops under your tongue, the medicine will be absorbed directly into your bloodstream, which will allow the medicine to take effect much quicker.
Another plus to tinctures is that the dropper allows you to be precise about your dosage and track it as your tolerance increases over time.
Tinctures can also be used in foods or drinks, similarly to an edible. Just keep in mind that if you choose to take your tincture with food, it may take a bit longer to kick in and the effects may not be as strong as they would be in the absence of food.
Types of Tinctures
There are a couple different kinds of tinctures when we talk about marijuana. Industrial hemp tinctures (aka CBD tinctures) contain less than 0.3% THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. These tinctures are legal at the federal level.
The second type of tincture is a THC tincture. These have more than 0.3% THC in them, and they are not legal federally. However, they are legal in West Virginia!
THC tinctures can still provide the psychoactive effects that flower or edibles provide, which is the “high” some people describe when talking about the effects of cannabis.
For the purposes of this article, when we reference “tincture,” we will be talking about THC tinctures.
Make Your Own THC Tincture
That’s right, DIY cannabis tinctures! Here are some ingredients you will need to. make your own:
Your cannabis flower
A grinder
An oven
A filter of some sort (coffee filter is perfect)
Ethanol
A jar with a lid
A medicine dropper (for consumption)
Step 1: Grind your cannabis
Step 2: Heat the flower in the oven at about 220 degrees for an hour
Step 3: Soak the heated flower in ethanol in your jar with the lid on tightly
Step 4: Store in a dry, cool, and dark place for up to two weeks. Make sure to shake the jar a couple of times a day to loosen the mixture up
Step 5: Filter the flower and separate it from the liquid
Step 6: Store in a dry and cool place and shake before consuming
And that’s it! Now, you’ve got your own homemade cannabis tincture!
Give Tinctures a Try
Tinctures are a cost effective, low key way to enjoy the benefits of medical marijuana. And now that you know how to make them at home, what are you waiting for?!
West Virginia’s medical marijuana program offers cannabis as legal medicine for patients with qualifying conditions. With a medical card, you can shop at any of the state’s approved dispensaries and use cannabis as an alternative medicine.
As a qualifying patient with a medical marijuana card, you can legally possess up to a 30-day supply of cannabis without fear of legal repercussions.
You can even get your medical marijuana card online from the comfort of your own home with West Virginia Marijuana Card!
To get your medical marijuana card online in West Virginia, simply schedule your medical marijuana evaluation appointment today and get access to legal marijuana products available at dispensaries!
Being a West Virginia medical marijuana patient allows you the freedom to establish your own personalized treatment plan. We’re dedicated to helping patients every step of the way! Feel free to give us a call at 877-303-8424 and we can answer your questions about getting a medical marijuana card in West Virginia.
Doctors Who Care.
Relief You Can Trust.
West Virginia Marijuana Card’s mission is to help everyone achieve
wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana.
Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce the stigma for
our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
If you have any questions, call us at 877-303-8424, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
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